Chatham County man sentenced to federal prison for possession of child pornography

Defendant was charged while on probation for prior child sex crimes

AUGUSTA, GA: A Chatham County sex offender has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after admitting he possessed child pornography.

Christopher Jason Shaw, 43, of Pooler, Ga., was sentenced to 125 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession of Child Pornography, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker also ordered Shaw to pay $14,000 in restitution, to serve 25 years of supervised release after completion of his prison term, and to register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.

"Protecting our most vulnerable citizens from predators is a vital part of keeping our communities safe," said U.S. Attorney Estes. "Our vigilant law enforcement partners continue to perform outstanding work in identifying these predators and putting them behind bars."

As described in court documents and testimony, Shaw was a registered sex offender and on state probation in 2019 from a 2010 conviction in Georgia for charges including sexual exploitation of children. He also had a 2005 conviction in South Carolina for charges including committing a lewd act upon a child. An officer from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, responding to a report that Shaw was in violation of the terms of his probation, visited Shaw's residence and confirmed the violations.

The officer seized Shaw's cell phone, and analysis by agents from the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation found several hundred images of child sexual exploitation on the phone - many of them involving sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. Shaw then was federally charged with Possession of Child Pornography, and pled guilty in June.

"Shaw clearly did not learn his lesson from the past charges he was serving probation on involving child sexual exploitation," said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "But now, thanks to assistance from our law enforcement partners, Shaw will spend a lengthy time in prison for his repeated crimes where he will no longer be able to violate the rights of innocent children."

"The GBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect innocent victims of online exploitation," said Michael Register, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. "We are grateful for the partnerships we maintain with our state and federal agencies to bring these predators to justice."

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer A. Stanley and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Tara M. Lyons.

Anyone with information on suspected child sexual exploitation can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678, or https://report.cybertip.org/.